Lost Traditions
by Sun's Rayz
Summary: A Great Flood destroyed the Clans' lake home. The survivors relocated to a serene forest territory, but it was as though the warrior code and StarClan washed away in the waves. What happens when there's discord between the Clans and there's no warrior code to guide them? Blurred boundaries, lost faith, disappearing traditions- can Daypaw bring it all back?
1. Chapter 1: Becoming An Apprentice

**Setting**

The Clans aren't living by the Lakes anymore; there was a big flood which made the land unsuitable. Instead, they're in a forest again, and each Clan borders each. But something strange happened. It was as if the flood washed away the Clans most important traditions...

**Chapter 1**

It was a sunny day, light filtering through the trees and cool breezes brushing against the leaves. ThunderClan's camp rested in the middle of the forest, relatively unguarded and easily penetrable, but that was okay. A large, hollowed out tree made a spacey, cozy den for the Clan's families in camp. A nursery was not far away in an underground burrow, although queens and kits were hardly ever in there except to sleep. The elderly cats of the Clan could move to a hollowed out bramble bush that conveniently sat next to the medicine den, but with only one elder in ThunderClan, it remained unused. Last was the leader's den, which was just another burrow on the opposite side of the rest and beside it stood a smooth rock not very high off of the ground. It was supposed to be used for announcements.

But there weren't many announcements anymore. No other Clan was going to attack and ceremonies were informal and generally quiet. Warrior ceremonies were performed on that rock, but not much else.

And there were a lot of queens and kits this green-leaf. Four queens lay out in the sun, one of them swollen with kits, three watching theirs happily. A silver and white tabby mother sat upward when a small, long-haired golden she-cat came over and greeted her happily.

"They look about ready," meowed the golden tabby she-cat, referring the queen's two kits. The she-cat sat down. "Where is Grasstail?"

"I think he's out hunting," replied the silver tabby mother, looking over at her kits. They were much bigger than the other ones they were tumbling with and practically bursting with energy. One of them, the jet-black one, knocked over a much smaller kit, making it tumble into the mouth of the nursery. "Nightkit! Be gentler!"

The other queen got up, retrieved her kit from the nursery's mouth, and settled back down under the sun and began to groom the dust off of its fur.

"I'm sorry, Holly," the silver queen apologized. "Is Squirrel okay?"

"Yes," purred Holly, licking the brown tabby Kit. "Don't worry about it, Morningstripe."

"I'll go send out a cat to find Grasstail so we can get you and the kits out of the nursery," meowed the golden she-cat, padding over to a group of warriors. Moments later, a white tom padded leisurely out of camp and into the forest.

"Daykit, come here," Morningstripe called her other kit. The white she-kit with very pale brown dapples and stripes bounced over to her mother, tumbling into Nightkit. The golden she-cat had to move out of the way while they tussled. "Sorry, Goldenstar."

"Kits will be kits," purred Goldenstar, looking over at Holly. "How are you and the kits doing, Holly?"

"Great! Mouse is starting to put on some weight and Vole just loves to play," meowed the fluffy cream-colored Queen. "And Squirrel likes to play around with the older kits."

"That's wonderful," replied their leader happily. "Kits are the best gift to a Clan."

"They are," Morningstripe meowed, looking over at her kits. "Come here you two, you need to look good for when you become apprentices." Even though it wouldn't be a big ceremony, their mother rasped her tongue over them until the dust slowly left the kits' fur. As she was finishing up, the white tom padded back into camp with a black tom with bright green eyes. At the sight of them, the black tom bounded over to them, eyes bright with delight.

"Hello Morningstripe," he purred, nuzzling his mate. He licked each kit on the head. "And good morning, Goldenstar. Is today the day?"

"It is," Goldenstar replied. "Are you ready, Kits?"

"More than ever!" Daykit squeaked, getting to her paws. Nightkit followed, eyes bright with excitement.

"Okay kits. Now you will be Daypaw and Nightpaw. Train them well, Morningstripe and Grasstail."

"We will," Grasstail promised, looking over at his kits.

"Do you have a nest in the family den prepared yet?" Goldenstar inquired, getting to her paws.

"We can go expand my nest no problem," Grasstail told her. "We'll just need some more moss. Come on, kits! Let's go get some moss!"

"Okay!" they chorused, bouncing after their father out of camp. Morningstripe got to her paws, eyes aglow with pride.

"Watch out for ShadowClan!" Goldenstar joked as Morningstripe followed her family, making both the she-cats laugh. Of course, nowadays, none of the Clans were even remotely a threat. Just friends living in a different part of the forest. They visited often, and as a matter of fact, the father of Holly's kits was even from WindClan. No one seemed to mind though. No one ever did.

"Come this way," Grasstail beckoned as they headed deeper into the forest. Morningstripe took up the rear while the new apprentices padded in-between. They climbed over some gnarled tree roots to reach a thick patch of moss. "Okay, now scrape away as much as you can."

"Grasstail?" Nightpaw asked as he began scraping away the moss.

"Yes?"

"Why don't all of the Clans live together?" inquired the black tom. "Why are we all split up into territories?"

"Because that's the way it was long ago, even before the Great Flood," he answered simply.

"What was the Great Flood like?"Daypaw inquired.

"I was only a kit, I don't remember much," said their father. "But I do remember water, lots and lots of water. It rained for days straight and the lake flooded really bad, uprooting the sturdiest of trees. As our Clan evacuated, I remember seeing the muddy water came all the way up to camp. My mother held me by the scruff as we fled. My sister Leafkit had died a day before we got out. I remember she had slipped out of the nursery to go explore, but she never came back."

"Wow." They two apprentices murmured.

"Did cats die a lot back then?" Nightpaw asked, genuinely interested. With the soft life that the Clans now lived, it was uncommon for a cat to die. The only ways cats died were of sickness or if they were protecting the Clan from a fox or badger. But those predators were few, and the leaf-bares hadn't been harsh lately.

"Oh yes," Morningstripe broke in. "My mom would tell me stories. Clans fought each other over prey and territory and other things. Life was very different back then."

Daypaw wondered what it must have been like. She knew a few queens in ThunderClan had mates in other Clans- had that been allowed in the past? She didn't think so.

"Alright, that's enough moss," Grasstail decided. "Let's head back."

The family of four padded back to camp, their jaws stuffed with moss. Other cats were milling around, some leisurely sharing tongues, other eating some fresh-kill. The kits were playing outside by the nursery with the queens relaxing like usual and everything was peaceful.

"We'll teach you how to hunt tomorrow," Morningstripe told them as they made their nest in the family den. "Get some rest and relax, tomorrow you'll be sore."

She didn't have to tell Daypaw twice! After all of that walking and scraping, she was glad to curl up in their nest. Nightpaw curled up beside her, his black fur blending in with hers, and fell asleep almost instantly. Daypaw closed her eyes and fell asleep to Nightpaw's light snoring like she always had.


	2. Chapter 2: Following Her Destiny

**Chapter 2**

Daypaw blinked and saw that she was standing in a meadow of tall grasses. The sun was high and bright in the sky and the mountains were a silvery haze in the distance. Far ahead of her were trees and a forest, she assumed, and there was a thick river that snaked its way through it.

_Wow, _she thought. _This place is beautiful... but where am I?_

"Welcome, Daypaw."

The young apprentice turned around, her jaw nearly dropping in shock. Standing in front of her were four cats with stars in their eyes in a silvery glow on their pelts. She'd never seen anything like it before in her life. _I must be dreaming, _she decided.

"I am Firestar," introduced the fiery ginger tom. "And this is Mistystar, Tallstar, and Blackstar."

"Hello," peeped Daypaw, excitement stirring in her chest. These were the cats in the legends! She had heard so much about Firestar, mostly good but some bad, and she knew of the other three. But excitement turned quickly into confusion. What were they doing here?

"This is StarClan, Daypaw," Firestar continued. "You-"

"I'm dead?!" she gasped, alarmed. "How did I die? That's not fair, I only just became-"

"You're not dead," Blackstar interruped impatiently. "You're dreaming."

"Oh." She felt sheepish.

"We have something very important to tell you," Mistystar meowed softly, stepping forward. "You have a very important destiny, young one."

"I do?"

"The Clans have lost everything that is important," Tallstar went on. "There is no more warrior code, no more honor, and no more respect."

"You cross each other's borders as if you shared all four territories. You mate with cats of other Clans without any consequences," Blackstar added.

"And traditions are lost," Firestar meowed solemnly. "Faith in StarClan is gone and the honor and excitement of serving your Clan has faded."

Daypaw just stared with round eyes. She remembered what her mother and father had said while they collected moss. How cats would die fighting over boundaries and for prey and that the Clans didn't used to be as friendly.

"But why die over prey and borders?" she asked boldly, staring at the four leaders.

"Because you must protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life," said Firestar, reciting a part of the warrior code. "Do you know the warrior code, Daypaw?"

She shook her head slowly and the four leaders began to recite it. By the end of it her head was spinning and she was so full of shame. No one followed these rules anymore. ThunderClan allowed the other Clans to cross their borders without confrontation. Apprentices didn't hunt for elders and queens before themselves, not every cat had a real Clan name, and ThunderClan didn't even have a deputy! As she thought about all of this, all of the rules everyone was constantly breaking, she became confused.

"Why are you telling me all of this? There's nothing I can do about it," Daypaw meowed, frustrated.

"Because there is so much you can do and will do, Daypaw," Mistystar said, curling her tail over her paws.

"Where do I start?" she asked. "I'm only just an apprentice."

"You must," Firestar began, "become a medicine cat."

"What?" gasped the apprentice in disbelief. "Become Brackentail's apprentice? He's crazy! I would never want to be his apprentice!"

"You have to, if the warrior code is to be saved," Firestar replied. "When you wake up, you must tell Goldenstar that you wish to be a medicine cat apprentice. By the warrior code, medicine cats are allowed to be friendly with the medicine cats of other Clans. This is the only way that we can restore all of the Clans' traditions by the warrior code. You must become a medicine cat and help teach the other four medicine cats to save the Clans."

"Why only me?" squeaked the apprentice. "Won't you visit the other medicine cats?"

"We can't," meowed Blackstar. "They are unreachable. They do not believe as strongly in StarClan as you do."

"Do you speak with Brackentail?" she wondered aloud randomly.

"Only a little," said Firestar. "Will you do this, Daypaw?"

"I will," she said slowly. "But my family will be very unhappy about it."

"They'll understand in time," Firestar meowed reassuringly, resting his tail on her shoulder. "Now go start your journey, little one."

The four leaders began to fade, leaving Daypaw alone in the dreamy meadow. There were so many questions swirling around in her head, begging to be answered, but the four starry cats were gone as quickly as they arrived. Her head was spinning and her heart was aching at the thought of what she had to do. _Well, let's just get this over with, _she thought, closing her eyes so that she could wake up.

()()()()()()

The sun was already setting when Daypaw woke up. Nightpaw was still fast asleep in their nest, but their parents still hadn't come in to sleep yet. She got up and stretched, blinking the sleep from her eyes as the blood flowed back into her stiff muscles. The memory of her dream came rushing back to her, making her stomach twist and heart race with anxiety. _Go tell Goldenstar, _she instructed herself, making herself walk out of the family den.

It was a peaceful evening. Cats were sharing tongues and relaxing and talking. The sky was painted beautiful shades of golds, pinks, purples, and blues and the moon was just starting its way up as the sun made its way down. Sighing, she padded across camp and over to where Goldenstar lay basking in the fading sunlight.

"Goldenstar," Daypaw meowed, announcing her arrival. The golden tabby leader lifted her head to look at Daypaw, then sat up.

"Hello Daypaw," purred the she-cat. "What can I do for you?"

"I want to be a medicine cat," Daypaw said convincingly, though she wanted to do anything but that. She hoped her heart wasn't showing in her eyes.

"Do you? But you haven't even started your warrior training yet," Goldenstar meowed, a little shocked and interested. "Have you approached Brackentail?"

"Not yet. I wanted to tell you first," Daypaw replied evenly. "And I already know I don't want to be a warrior." _Lies,_ she thought to herself. She wanted more than anything to be a warrior.

"Very well. Then you will be ThunderClan's new medicine cat apprentice," Goldenstar finalized. "You should go inform Brackentail and then your family."

"Thank you," Daypaw said, noting how informal her "ceremony" was. There was no calling upon StarClan, no announcement to the rest of the Clan. Just a declaration spoken out-loud by the Leader. _Things used to be so different, _Daypaw thought and for once, she was irritated. Why did things change the way they had? But she didn't voice her frustrations or her dream with StarClan. Instead, she just padded away from her leader and over to the medicine den, where she would begin her destiny. If four of the Clans past great leaders believed she could turn it all around, then she knew she had to believe in herself.


	3. Chapter 3: Severing Ties

_I hope I have caught your interest with this story. Stay tuned, it'll be a good one. Reviews with suggestions, friendly constructive criticism, or pointing out what you like about the story are always welcome :) I hope you like it and keep reading! Also, the Allegiances will be posted on every 3rd chapter._

* * *

**Allegiances**

**ThunderClan**

_Leader:_

**Goldenstar**- long-haired golden tabby she-cat

_Deputy:_

_Medicine Cat:_

**Brackentail**- very old brown tabby tom, Apprentice:** Daypaw**

_Warriors:_

**Grasstail**- black tom with green eyes

**Morningstripe**- silver and white tabby she-cat

**Quickheart**- white tom

**Rowan**- dark ginger tom

**Thorn**- brown tabby tom

_Apprentices:_

**Daypaw**- white she-cat with pale brown dapples and stripes with blue eyes

**Nightpaw**- black tom with amber eyes

**Lizard**- brown tabby tom with yellow eyes

**Frog**- black and white tom with green eyes

_Queens:_

**Holly**- long-haired cream colored she-cat; mated with a tom from WindClan: **Squirrel** (brown tabby she-kit), **Mouse** (paler brown tabby tom),** Vole** (brown tom)

**Amberheart**- pale ginger tabby she-cat; mated with Rowan**  
**

**Blue**- gray she-cat; mated with a tom from ShadowClan: **Coal** (dark gray she-kit)

_Elders:_

**Seedwhisker**- very old pale ginger she-cat, daughter of Sorreltail and Brackenfur

_ThunderClan Families:_

**Grasstail** + **Morningstripe**= **Daypaw**, **Nightpaw**

**Holly** + **?(WC)** = **Squirrel**, **Mouse**, **Vole**

**Amberheart** + **Rowan**=** ?**

**Blue** + **?(SC)** = **Coal**

**Thorn** + **?**= **Lizard**, **Frog**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Daypaw reluctantly padded over to the medicine den, not wanting to confront the old tabby tom but knowing she'd have to eventually. _Nightpaw's going to laugh his head off when he hears about this, _she thought to herself. Most of the Clan thought Brackentail was crazy, so they often disrespected him or joked about him behind his back. No one believed a word he ever said, since most of it sounded like kits tales, and cats only went to him if they were terribly sick. A thorn in the pad, a bleeding scratch on the shoulder- they'd figure out themselves how to treat it. Whitecough, greencough? Well, then go to Brackentail.

Daypaw swore she could feel many pairs of eyes on her as walked inside the dank burrow and called out Brackentail's name. The Clan knew she wasn't sick, so they probably thought she was crazy. Becoming his apprentice was something that would cross no one's mind.

"What? Who is it?" rasped a voice. A pair of yellow eyes gleamed in the shadows.

"It's Daypaw," she meowed, voice cracking. She swallowed. "I want to be your apprentice."

"Really now?" the voice breathed, letting out a scratchy laugh. Brackentail stepped out of the shadows, letting what little light came into the den light up his ragged pelt. "Why?"

"I want to learn how to heal," she said, fumbling with her words. It was hard to lie about something she should probably feel very strongly about, especially when she wasn't expecting all the questions. "And I want to share tongues with StarClan."

There was a pause as the old tom examined her. She couldn't tell what expression was on his face, especially in the dim lighting, but she thought she could see a hint of amusement in the old cat's eyes.

"You believe in StarClan, do ya?" he meowed, coming even closer to her. "What'd you say your name was?"

"Daypaw."

"That's a funny name," he pointed out, letting out another raspy laugh.

"My brother is Nightpaw. Get it? Day and Night?" she meowed sharply. Most queens nowadays named their kits with some type of theme. Holly, for instance, named her kits after prey: Squirrel, Mouse, and Vole. Daypaw liked her and Nightpaw's names, so she became irritated by his jibe. "It's not important anyway."

"Oh but isn't it?" Brackentail whispered. "Isn't all of the honor of being ThunderClan in the name? Weren't cats once excited to receive their warrior names in honor of ThunderClan?"

Daypaw just stared at him, a little shocked by his words. What she had once considered gibberish, along with the rest of the Clan considered, was actually... just what the old Clan leaders had been talking to her about. Brackentail knew that the Clans were disregarding rules and ignoring the warrior code, just like the StarClan cats.

He considered her silence to be an agreement. He smiled a little and nodded his head.

"Ah yes, I'm not some crazy cat now am I?" rasped the old tabby, his voice more serious than before.

_He knows, _Daypaw thought sadly. _He knows that he's the joke of the Clan._

"Well, run along now. Go tell your family that you've done the _unthinkable_," he dismissed her, turning around to pad to the back of the den. Daypaw stared at the spot where he had been, then turned around and bounded out of the den.

The sun was gone now and the stars were beginning to poke through night's veil. Some cats were still awake and outside and when she appeared out of the medicine den, they all stared at her curiously. Daypaw spotted Greentail and Morningstripe among them and padded over, hoping they wouldn't be upset with her decision.

"What were you doing in Brackentail's den?" Morningstripe inquired, her eyes sharp in the moonlight. _She will definitely not be happy, _Daypaw decided miserably, sighing. Greentail's eyes were fixed on her intently as well.

"I've decided to become a medicine cat," she told them, standing confidently this time. She was starting to feel better and better about her new destiny.

"Why?" Greentail gasped, horrified. "Why would you want to train with that... that squirrel-brain?"

"I think it's what StarClan would want me to do," she replied simply, laughing inwardly. They didn't know that it was _exactly _what StarClan wanted her to do.

"StarClan?" Greentail hissed, raising his voice. "StarClan abandoned us when the flood washed away our home!"

"You know that's not true!" Daypaw growled, neck fur bristling.

"Daypaw, Greentail!" Morningstripe interfered furiously, standing in-between father and kit. "Stop, now!"

Daypaw sat back down, still angry, but feeling ashamed for getting so mad at her father. In a culture where family ties were the most important thing, she was sure to be gossiped about all over the Clans. She let her neck fur lie flat and looked away, not wanting to look her parents in the eyes. She knew she was deeply disappointing them and she wished she could tell them all that she knew, but they'd think she was crazy if they already didn't think that.

"We will respect your decision, Daypaw," Morningstripe said evenly and calmly. "But Daypaw, you must respect us too."

She wanted to argue with her mother and try and make her see that Greentail was being mouse-brained, but that would get them nowhere. Instead, she nodded, knowing that deep down she wanted to keep the peace with her family.

"Has Goldenstar already conducted the ceremony?" asked her mother.

"Yes."

"Very well then, it's settled. No more arguing," Morningstripe concluded. "Now go tell Nightpaw and then go get settled in your new den."

"Okay," she mewed dejectedly, walking away without looking at her parents again. It would be a long time before they would forgive her, she realized. She just hoped Nightpaw wouldn't have the same reaction as they did.

"Nightpaw," she called tiredly into the family den, prodding her black furred brother. "Nightpaw, I'm not a w_arrior a_pprentice anymore."

"Huh? Whaa...?" Nightpaw snorted, blinking the sleep from his eyes. He looked over at her still half-asleep.

"Wake up," she hissed, prodding him with an unsheathed claw.

"Ow!" he squeaked, jumping to his paws. "Jeez, what is it, Daypaw?"

"I'm going to be a medicine cat," she meowed flatly, searching his eyes for disapproval.

"Really?" he said a little sadly, examining her with his eyes. "You want to do that?"

"Of course I do. I've already had my ceremony and informed everyone, just thought I'd let you know."

"Well thanks," Nightpaw replied grumpily. "Have fun training with that bad excuse for a tom."

"I will," she snapped bitterly, turning tail to her brother and leaving the family den for good. She scraped together some moss from a large oak tree nearby and stalked into the Medicine den angrily. Brackentail was somewhere in the back but he didn't stir or greet her when she walked in, so she just made her nest and curled up in a tight ball. She'd never slept alone and without her family before and she was unused to the lack of warmth of Nightpaw. When her anger subsided, her heart was heavy and her head was throbbing. So much had changed in such a little time, but this is what she had to do.

She would make StarClan happy if it was the only thing she ever did.


	4. Chapter 4: A Little Fun

**Chapter 4**

"What are borage leaves used for?"

"For nursing queens that need more milk."

"And?"

"And... to bring down.. fever?"

"Yep."

Brackentail had been drilling herbs into her head all morning and she was already getting bored. She didn't see the point in it either- there wasn't going to be a war, and no cat had gotten sick in awhile. What she wanted to do was restore the warrior code, but she guessed it would be a very long time before that happened. So she let Brackentail drill herb after herb into her head until she began to feel dizzy and asked for a break.

"Fine. Go eat or relax or something and come back before sunhigh," he had grumbled, retreating to the back of the den.

"Do you want anything?" she called after him.

"No."

So she padded out of the stuffy medicine den, glad for the fresh air. It had been a few days since she became his apprentice and she was thoroughly miserable. Learning which herb was which was boring and monotone. She longed to run through the trees and feel the wind on her fur. She wanted to stalk and kill her prey, giving thanks to StarClan of course for its life. _Does anyone even do that anymore? _she wondered.

But this was the destiny StarClan laid out for her and she had to believe in them, even though they hadn't visited her in her dreams since the first one. In the back of her head, she wondered if she'd just imagined the dream and that none of it was real. But she reminded herself of what Brackentail had said on that first day and decided to keep her faith. They would visit her again in due time.

As she padded into the daylight, she wondered if her family would want to teach her how to hunt. That was something every cat should know, right? But that probably wouldn't happen. Her parents had been effectively ignoring her for the past few days and even Nightpaw only ever said "hello" to her. _Give them time, _she tried to tell herself, but she was beginning to wonder if they'd ever turn around.

"Hiya Daypaw!" a friendly voice called. A black and white furred apprentice was bounding toward her happily, his bright green eyes aglow.

"Hi Frog," she purred. "What're you up to?"

"Thorn gave me a Lizard the day off because he's visiting RiverClan," he explained. "So Lizard and I have been playing by the three streams. Wanna come?"

"Can we hunt along the way? I'm starved!" she meowed, tail curling with delight.

"Sure!"

Daypaw followed Frog out of camp with a bounce in her step. The fresh air felt good on her fur and it felt good to stretch her legs. Frog had longer legs than her, so she had to jog a little faster to keep up, but she enjoyed the physical exercise of running versus the mental exercise of remembering herbs. _Maybe StarClan made a mistake, _she thought hopefully. _Maybe I'm supposed to be a warrior and they visited the wrong cat. _But the logical side of her knew that StarClan would never make that big of a mistake.

"Look!" Frog whispered, crouching low to the ground. Daypaw looked over at him and crouched lower, following his gaze to a bunch of fuzzy green ferns. A small mouse was weaving in-between the leaves, stopping occasionally to pick a snack off the ground. "Go ahead, it's yours."

Excitement stirred in her chest as she slowly took a few steps forward. This was it! This was going to be her first catch! Only it wasn't. Her next pawstep rustled a twig and the mouse knew instantly that it was in danger. It darted between the ferns, leaving a frustrated Daypaw to follow suit clumsily.

"Daypaw, you're going to scare all the prey!" Frog called, but he was laughing. Laughing at her failure.

"Fox-dung!" she hissed, plopping down on the leaves in defeat. Frog padded over to her and licked her ear.

"Come one, there'll be more. Let's keep looking," he said encouragingly, coaxing Daypaw back on her paws.

They padded through the forest some more, but Daypaw realized she must've been much louder than she thought while chasing that mouse because there was no prey in sight. The two apprentices reached the three steams before spotting or scenting any other prey.

Daypaw thought to herself that the three streams was a very interesting land mark. The streams were small, snaking through the land almost parallel to each other but not quite, until they met and made one larger stream. It eventually flowed into the river that separated their territory from RiverClan's, but here, the water was shallow enough to get your paws wet but not soak your legs. It was a wonderful place to cool off during the hot days of green-leaf.

"What's _she _doing here?" Lizard asked when they arrived. The large brown tabby tom had been swiping at the water as they padded up to him but at the sight of them he stopped and glared.

"I can go anywhere I want," Daypaw hissed, stepping into the water. It was cool and felt good on her paws.

"I thought you're supposed to be memorizing and organizing herbs for the rest of your life," Lizard scoffed, obviously enjoying poking fun at the younger apprentice. Daypaw tried to keep her cool; would StarClan want a medicine cat that could be easily angered?

"How's training going?" she asked as if she hadn't heard the comment. She splashed in the water a little, enjoying the sound and the spray.

"It's going well!" Frog answered this time. "Thorn is a great mentor."

"I'm already ahead of Frog," Lizard stated, pale yellow eyes boastful. "I can catch more prey and pin him down any time!"

"Oh yeah?" Frog growled, lowering himself to the ground, black and white tail lashing back in fourth. He pounced on his larger brother and they fell, tussling in the water and mud. Daypaw rolled her eyes; toms would be toms.

She was thoroughly amused by their play fighting until she thought of Nightpaw. She missed her brother a lot. Missed the way they used to play fight, missed his black fur blending with hers as they slept, missed his snoring lulling her to sleep. He had been her best friend, but he was giving her the cold shoulder almost just as much as their parents were. And it hurt. A wave of frustration crashed over her at the thought, making her hop to her paws. She needed to find some way to channel it...

So she joined the battle, slamming right into Lizard and knocking him over. His yellow eyes glowed with shock for a moment, but he recovered quickly enough to bowl her over, pushing Frog to the side. Out of the corner of her eye, Daypaw say Frog roll away, barely visible under the layer of water and mud.

They tussled, each of them fighting to be on top. Daypaw pinned him down for a moment, but his powerful hind legs had thrown her off before she could claim victory. Her frustration began to fade away as her muscles started to ache, but she kept on fighting. _This feels good, _she thought to herself, feeling guilty. Medicine cats were supposed to be peaceful and calm. Was she doing wrong by play fighting?

"I win!" Lizard yowled as he slammed her into the mud. Daypaw gasped as the wind knocked out of her, but she recovered quickly, letting out a growl. The tabby tom stepped off of her, letting her up and she stumbled to her paws. Her sore legs struggled to find solid ground in the water and mud, but she played it off as though she were taking her time getting back up. Frog was sitting not far away, amusement shining in his bright green eyes.

"I almost beat you," Daypaw reminded him, licking some mud off of her chest fur. There was no way she could possibly clean up before going back to Brackentail... uh oh. Brackentail. She cast her gaze up to the sky and noticed the sun was already high in the sky.

"_Almost_," Lizard emphasized, puffing out his chest, oblivious.

"I have to get back to camp," she announced, a little embarrassed. To make matters worse, her stomach growled. She hadn't done anything that Brackentail suggested she do with her break. Instead of relaxing and eating, she was starving and covered in mud.

"Sore loser."

"Want me to walk with you?" Frog offered, one of his ears flicking spasmodically as a fly hovered around it. He looked so goofy sitting there, with that smile on his face and his ear moving all weird. She wanted to laugh but didn't want to offend him.

"Sure," she chuckled, padding over to him. "Coming Lizard?"

"Yep!"

The trio headed back to camp all plastered with hardening mud but in high spirits. However annoying and arrogant Lizard was, at least he seemed to respect her a little more now. She held her own in battle better than Frog had- the black and white tom hadn't even been close to pinning down Lizard- but he hadn't seemed to mind. _It's interesting, _she thought. _Lizard is so annoying and proud, but Frog is just so good-spirited and happy. _

"It's too bad you're not a warrior apprentice," Frog said as they approached camp.

"Yeah," Lizard agreed, adding, "It'd be nice to beat another cat every day at training."

Daypaw rolled her eyes and purred in amusement halfheartedly, but her mind was elsewhere. The two toms would not be in trouble upon entering camp, but Daypaw knew that she would be. Shame made her pelt hot as they padded in, meeting the stares of the other cats. Some of them looked at her and began to whisper to each other, but instead of shrinking and disappearing like she wish she could, Daypaw puffed out her chest and walked proudly to the medicine den, flicking her tail in farewell to the toms. If they were going to stare, then let them stare.

But her confidence melted away as she padded into the dark burrow and nearly ran into Brackentail, who was sitting by the mouth of the den with his tail wrapped over his paws. She took a step back and sat down uneasily.

"I see you made good use of your break," he commented neutrally after a moment.

"I was only having a little fun," she murmured, whiskers twitching unhappily. Why were the other cats allowed to do whatever they wanted but she was closely monitored?

"If you want to be a good medicine cat, you can't go off gallivanting and play fighting," hissed her mentor, getting to his paws.

"A cat has to have fun sometimes," she protested, hackles raising.

"You can have fun once you know your herbs." Brackentail was angry, but so was she. "I bet you don't even know what borage leaves are used for."

Her anger drained right out of her as she racked her brain for the answer, but came up blank. She let her fur lie flat and lowered her head, knowing that he had won.

"Exactly," he spat. "Now go clean yourself, I don't want that smell and mess in my den."

"Yes Brackentail," she sighed dejectedly, turning to leave. But then her stomach growled really loudly, making her ears flatten with embarrassment.

"And go eat something so I don't have to listen to that all evening."

If only she had just done what she was told.

* * *

_()()()()()()_

_Poor Daypaw. She just doesn't know what to do with herself in this confusing time! Is the story going well? Like what you're reading? I can't tell what you're thinking if you don't write a review! But really, I do love reading reviews, they make me very happy. But please no flames. A little encouragement will help me write the next chapter faster ;)_


	5. Chapter 5: Finding What Was Lost

_Hi guys! Thank you so much for the reviews! They mean a lot :) I probably wrote and rewrote this chapter like 3 or 4 times, I wasn't sure where I wanted to go with it. I didn't have internet over the weekend, so even if I did have it ready to go, I wouldn't have been able to upload! But enough of my blabbering. Without further ado, here is Chapter 5!_

* * *

**Chapter 5**

Herbs. Herbs. Herbs. Why can't you remember them? We've been at it for a moon and you still can't remember what dock is used for. Do you even know what this is? It's chervil! Oh, StarClan.

Daypaw was tired of hearing her mentor's scolding and disappointment over and over again. It was true that she didn't have a natural talent for memorizing herbs, but she was trying her best. The old tom didn't seem to notice or care that she was putting her all in- he just knew that whatever she was doing, it wasn't working.

"Brackentail, it's late," she pointed out in the almost pitch black darkness of the den. "Can we just sleep?"

"Such an overachiever," the old tabby grumbled. "Fine, get some sleep. We'll collect herbs tomorrow."

"Yay," Daypaw murmured unenthusiastically to herself, curling up in her soft nest.

When she opened her eyes, she was in the meadow with the tall grasses and beautiful mountains. Pinks, purples, and blues streaked across the sky, sending a soft light to the land below. Excitement coursed through her body from ear to tail tip as she eagerly awaited the appearance of the StarClan leaders again. Only they didn't appear. Instead, a tortoiseshell cat she did not recognize padded towards her, seemingly oblivious to the grasses snagging her pelt as she went. Daypaw sat down and cocked her head in wonderment.

"Your faith in us is strong, little one," commented the she-cat in a gentle voice. "Even without receiving a dream for a moon, you stuck to your duties and faith."

Daypaw shrugged, pelt burning from the compliment.

"This is why we picked you, you know," she added, sitting down.

After being Brackentail's apprentice for over a moon, Daypaw wasn't used to so many compliments, especially at once.

"How is your training going?" asked the she-cat randomly, making Daypaw's pelt prickle uneasily.

"Bad," Daypaw admitted. "I'm not going to be a good medicine cat, I can't remember any of the herbs."

"It'll come in time," the she-cat said reassuringly, but Daypaw thought she caught a hint of doubt in her amber eyes. "You may have heard of me before. I am Spottedleaf, and I've come to tell you what you must do next."

The name sounded vaguely familiar in Daypaw's head. She had heard it maybe once or twice, but not nearly as much as the four leaders she had met previously.

"Last half-moon," Spottedleaf went on, "the medicine cats didn't meet to share tongues with us. They haven't in a while."

"Are we supposed to do that?" Daypaw wondered out loud, causing Spottedleaf's eyes to fill with sadness.

"Yes, Daypaw. Every half-moon, medicine cats are supposed to meet and share tongues with StarClan," Spottedleaf explained.

"Where are we supposed to do that?"

Her question was followed by silence.

"It has not yet been found."

"Where is it?" Daypaw asked, but Spottedleaf's figure was already fading. "You didn't tell me what I have to do!"

"Find it."

()()()()()()

Daypaw awoke feeling even more frustrated than when she had fallen asleep. Moonlight was filtering in through the den, letting her know that it was still well into the night. She sighed, letting her chin rest on the edge of the nest, willing herself to fall back asleep, but it was useless- she was wide awake now.

And then something strange happened. The small rays of moonlight began to glow brighter, making the mouth of the den look like it led to StarClan itself. She got to her paws, eyes filled with bewilderment, and padded forward, lured by the silvery shine.

Out in camp, nothing was out of the usual. Every cat was asleep, with no one on guard, and the moon was high in the cloudless sky. It was a crescent, maybe half of a half moon, completely visible and glowing as bright as ever. Silverpelt shone bright too. Perhaps too bright?

Daypaw caught a flicker of movement in the corner of her eye. She looked down and saw pawprints being made in the ground, leading away from her. _Am I dreaming? _She thought to herself, staring at the prints. They seemed to be walking forward, as if an invisible cat were making them. _Should I tell Brackentail? _But the prints stopped and turned around as if asking her if she was going to follow. _I'll be back before he even wakes up._

She padded forward slowly, following the pawprints, and noticed how they seemed to disappear when there were more than six on the ground. _Interesting. _Then, they picked up the pace. Daypaw jogged and then ran after them, coming to a full sprint.

Through the woods she went. Bramble bushes snagged her pelt as she ran and she tripped over her paws a few times, but she kept going, struggling to keep up. _Slow down, _she thought desperately, paws aching and lungs on fire, but the pace was steady. She was going so fast she didn't even know she crossed the ThunderClan border until she was several fox-lengths past it.

"Oh no," she breathed. It would be a long journey back to camp, one she wasn't sure she'd be able to navigate easily, especially at night. Her stomach twisted a little with worry- would she be able to find her way back?

Thankfully, the pawsteps began to slow down to a walk. Daypaw was breathing heavily, not used to so much physical exertion, and her legs felt wobbly. A gentle breeze buffeted her fur, becoming a little stronger as if trying to nudge her. She stumbled a little, then looked up, and the breeze ebbed away.

Before her stood a large pile of boulders standing up against each other. They looked ominous under the pale moonlight, yet there was something about them that drew Daypaw in. _Is this it..? _She wondered to herself. Had Spottedleaf faded from her dream so that she could lead her to the place StarClan wanted her to find?

As if to answer her plethora of questions, a gust of wind rushed by, tugging her forward, pulling her into the cave. A whisper in the wind seemed to be saying _"comeeeee"_ but she couldn't tell if she was imagining it or not. Cautiously, Daypaw crept forward, entering the mouth of the boulder cave, succumbing to pitch black darkness.

She could no longer see pawprints or anything to guide her, so she just walked forward, careful of where she placed her paws. There could be a dip or a fall or a hole and she wouldn't be able to tell, so she tapped her paw in front of her to make sure the ground was sturdy before each step. But the smooth ground didn't try and trick her, so she picked up the pace until her paws hit an icy pool of water.

She let out a yelp and hopped backward, pelt bristling. She widened her eyes in the darkness, trying to make out the silhouette of the water, when something amazing happened.

Silver beams of light seemed to erupt from the pool of water before her, bouncing off the walls of the cave. The water seemed to come alive, as if the light gave it sudden energy. Waves climbed up the cave walls and sprayed all over her, but it didn't look like water, it looked like stars. Stars, everywhere, breaking away from the black water and glittering all over the cave.

Some inner instinct of some sort made her crawl so that her paws were in the icy water as she took a big drink. Her whole body shivered, as if she had swallowed pure ice and it was spreading toward her limbs. Bones frozen and fur standing on end, Daypaw's head fell forward into the water and rested on her wet paws. Her eyes closed as she ran away from wakefulness.

()()()()()()

"This is Star Cave, Daypaw. This is where medicine cats will share tongues with StarClan."

Daypaw blinked and saw that she wasn't in the cave anymore- she was on a bed of silvery grass beneath silverpelt. Before her stood Spottedleaf, her dappled pelt glowing like the stars in her eyes.

"You are brave, young one. But you still have a long ways to go."

Daypaw stared at the pretty she-cat, absorbing every word she said and letting it reverberate off the walls of her head.

"Now you must convince the other medicine cats to come here with you on half-moon. And you must gain the respect of everyone in your Clan. But don't be afraid, you already have strength and wisdom beyond your years, and StarClan will always be watching over you."

StarClan would always be with her, guiding her pawsteps and protecting her. She let the magnitude of that sink in as she laid there in the grass. Sudden warmth enveloped her, making her feel even more comfortable and soothed than when she had been a suckling kit in the nursery.

As Spottedleaf began to fade away, Daypaw felt more eyes on her. Glancing around, she noticed the faint outline of faces watching her, giving her the strength and love she needed.

"Let StarClan light your path."

* * *

_BOOM! There it is. I'll warn you now, I'm not much a fan of "filler" chapters. I like them all to have a meaning and a purpose. I personally don't believe my story is TOO fast paced, and I'm sorry if it is, but I find it kinda boring reading about hunting and practice fighting for 3 chapters in a row... ANYWAYS, reviews are welcome and happily received! Please be kind and no flames. Chapter 6 should be up soon-ish. And also, side-note, Seedwhisker is an elder in ThunderClan. (I like to make up some characters as I write, guilty as charged. Seedwhisker is Seedkit in the last book in the series, btw.)_

_Thanks for reading! :3 _


	6. Chapter 6: Playthings

**Allegiances**

**ThunderClan**

_Leader:_

**Goldenstar**- small long-haired golden tabby she-cat

_Deputy:_

_Medicine Cat:_

**Brackentail**- very old brown tabby tom, Apprentice:** Daypaw**

_Warriors:_

**Grasstail**- black tom with green eyes

**Morningstripe**- silver and white tabby she-cat

**Quickheart**- white tom

**Rowan**- dark ginger tom

**Thorn**- brown tabby tom

_Apprentices:_

**Daypaw**- white she-cat with pale brown dapples and stripes with blue eyes

**Nightpaw**- black tom with amber eyes

**Lizard**- brown tabby tom with yellow eyes

**Frog**- black and white tom with green eyes

_Queens:_

**Holly**- long-haired cream colored she-cat; mated with a tom from WindClan: **Squirrel** (brown tabby she-kit), **Mouse** (paler brown tabby tom),** Vole** (brown tom)

**Amberheart**- pale ginger tabby she-cat; mated with Rowan**  
**

**Blue**- gray she-cat; mated with a tom from ShadowClan: **Coal** (dark gray she-kit)

_Elders:_

**Seedwhisker**- very old pale ginger she-cat, daughter of Sorreltail and Brackenfur

_ThunderClan Families:_

**Grasstail** + **Morningstripe**= **Daypaw**, **Nightpaw**

**Holly** + **?(WC)** = **Squirrel**, **Mouse**, **Vole**

**Amberheart** + **Rowan**=** ?**

**Blue** + **?(SC)** = **Coal**

**Thorn** + **?**= **Lizard**, **Frog**

* * *

_The allegiances haven't changed, but I promised I'd re-post them every 3rd chapter, so there they are! Sorry it took me a bit longer to post this chapter- I've been super busy all of a sudden. I'll try to write more quickly for the next few! _

_Warning: this chapter is a little dark._

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Daypaw's face and paws were drenched when she tiredly lifted her eyelids. It felt as though she hadn't slept in moons and not only did she have a piercing headache, but her legs were sore too. She staggered to her paws, wondering where she was for a moment, and realized she was in Star Cave. _I've found it, _she thought to herself, though it had really been Spottedleaf who had found it and just showed Daypaw the way. Irritation broke through the haze in her head; Spottedleaf could have just told her where to find the Star Cave and she would've found it in the morning. She didn't understand why they had to be so cryptic.

Yawning, the little apprentice made her way out of the cave and winced as her eyes met the sunlight. It was almost sunhigh, snapping Daypaw back to reality. She had to get back to camp before Brackentail got even more angry with her. Last night in her hurry, she didn't think she would ever be able to find her way back to camp, but she recognized some of the landmarks easily, which helped her orient herself.

She started to jog back, even though all of her muscles cried in protest. Her lungs felt abnormally cold as she went and there was a tickle in her throat, as if she had swallowed something the wrong way. She coughed and that made things better momentarily.

"What are _you_ doing?"

She nearly jumped out of her fur in shock as a black furred figure appeared from behind some bushes. It was her brother, Nightpaw. Her heart twisted with longing as she looked at his familiar amber eyes and breathed his soft scent. If only he would remember that they were kin and start acknowledging her again.

"I was just coming back from a walk," she lied swiftly, licking some of her chest fur uncomfortably. She was absolutely flustered by his presence.

"You look like something dragged you all through the woods," commented her brother, wrinkling his nose when she coughed again. "Are you sick?"

"I'm fine," she replied irritably. "Don't you have anything important to do?"

He narrowed his eyes but instead of saying something snippy to her, he replied calmly, "Brackentail is looking for you," and walked away, as if that was insult enough.

_Brackentail, _she thought to herself miserably. She didn't want to go back to that den one bit, where all the old tom did was criticize her and point out everything she was doing wrong. Which _was _everything. She still couldn't tell goldenrod from marigold, which Brackentail always said was "absolutely incredible" in a very sarcastic voice. She rolled her eyes in annoyance just thinking about it.

Rain was just beginning to fall as Daypaw entered camp. The clouds were becoming very dark overhead and the dampening leaves were blowing in the wind, occasionally falling off. Green-leaf was definitely beginning to turn into leaf-fall.

Over by the family den, she noticed Lizard and Frog play-fighting while Thorn distractedly washed his paws. Blue sat outside the nursery, shoulders hunched and worry shining in her amber eyes. Daypaw padded over to her, concerned for the she-cat despite her rotten mood. And, well, she wanted to delay going back to the medicine den as much as possible.

"Is everything okay, Blue?" asked Daypaw gently. The queen looked up at her, her gaze suddenly as sharp as thorns.

"Coal is sick," Blue replied, tail lashing unhappily. "She's in the medicine den with that scatterbrained mentor of yours."

"He's not scatterbrained," Daypaw meowed defensively. "We'll do everything we can to make her better."

"You'd better, or I'll take her right to ShadowClan," said the queen icily, turning around and stalking right back into her den. _Everyone's just in a bad mood because of the rain, _Daypaw thought to herself as she turned away to go into the medicine den.

It felt as though a thick cloud of sickness surrounded her as she padded into the den. In a makeshift nest a little ways in lay the small, dark gray body of Coal, who's eyes were crusted shut. She watched the young kit's abdomen, watching as it struggled to rise and shakily fell. The labored breathing troubled her deeply- not only did she not want this kit to die, but she knew that if Coal did go to StarClan, respect for Brackentail would drop even lower.

"Look who decided to show up," exclaimed Brackentail when his amber eyes locked with hers. "I have a feeling you're not taking any of this seriously."

"I'm sorry." Daypaw looked down shamefully, though she was wanted to tell her mentor about Star Cave so bad that it hurt. _He would be proud of me for once, _she thought longingly, but now was not the time.

"I guess you're just like everyone else," he commented dismissively, referring to the rest of the Clan cats who lived by no warrior code. That stung. And Brackentail knew it too, but he didn't seem to care. "What do you think little miss Coal is sick with?"

"Well..." murmured Daypaw after a moment. "Her breathing is heavy and her eyes are crusted." She closed her eyes as she thought. "Does she have a cold?"

"No," Brackentail meowed. "It's worse, she has whitecough. If we don't help her now, it'll easily turn to greencough, and she's definitely not strong enough to fight that."

"What can we do for her?" Daypaw wondered, looking over at the sick lump of fur.

"Maybe you can tell me," her mentor tested, sitting down and wrapping his tail over his paws.

"Erm, well... for the breathing you could use... feverfew?"

"You would use feverfew to help bring down a_ fever_," he said, a little more patiently this time. "The best remedy for greencough is what? _It starts with a c_."

"Uh..." _why can't I remember anything? "_comfrey?"

"That mends broken bones and helps soothe wounds," sighed Brackentail. "_Catmint_, Daypaw. Catmint! Do you close your ears when I talk?"

"No," she grumbled. _I'm sorry I'm such a disappointment._

"If I show you what it looks like and where to find it, do you think you'll still manage to get it wrong?" hissed her mentor, throwing a catmint leaf on the ground before her paws. It was a little wilted and obviously of no good use. She sniffed it, breathing in its scent, praying to StarClan that she could remember this time. "There's a clump growing near black tree this greenleaf. Get it and hurry back. The sooner Coal gets some, the better."

"Okay," Daypaw meowed. "I'll be back soon." She turned around and, despite her exhaustion, fled through the forest in search of the precious herb.

It was raining hard now, and it wasn't long before she was drenched and chilled to the bone. The ground was already turning into a mush; mud sloshed up onto her legs, clinging to her fur and turning it brown. It would be a somewhat long trek to the black tree as it was right near the ShadowClan border, so she tried to pass the time by reviewing herbs in her head. _Dock, Burdock root, chervil, coltsfoot, juniper... now what are they used for? Dock soothes... scratches? I think? _

But a strong scent disrupted thoughts. Nightpaw. So he hadn't returned to camp yet. His scent trail seemed to head right in the direction she was going, so she followed it, curious as to what her brother was up to. But then it branched off to the left and she had to keep going straight to reach the catmint. Daypaw desperately wanted to follow his trail and see what he was up to, but she had been disappointing Brackentail so much lately- she knew she couldn't any more waste time or he'd give up on her completely. And besides, Coal's life was on the line this time.

So instead she broke away from his trail and went on her way to the black tree. It came into view long before she actually arrived. She stared at it, watching as its black, leafless branches twisted up into the sky. It was taller than any other tree and it stood there, solitary, with nothing growing within a few fox-lengths radius of it. Except for the catmint. How or why it grew there when nothing else would was beyond her.

She arrived and was about to begin harvesting the precious herb when she heard the terrified screech of an animal about to die. Alarmed, Daypaw stopped what she was doing and followed the sound to find its source, when Nightpaw came into view. She quickly dove behind a bush and peered through the branches to watch.

Ahead of her was Nightpaw, joined by the company of three ShadowClan apprentices. They were all watching in amusement as Nightpaw toyed with something- she couldn't see what. Then, he lowered his muzzle to the ground and yanked it up, throwing something into the air... a mouse! He threw a mouse into the air!

The poor creature fell right to the ground and lay there dazed. One of the other apprentices batted it with her paw and laughed as it came to life and ran right back into Nightpaw's paws. The mouse let out another blood-curdling squeal as Nightpaw lifted it in its jaws again.

"Why doesn't it just give up? It knows it's gonna die," snorted a white tom with black splotches. His one black ear twitched when the mouse squeaked again.

"Maybe it doesn't know yet," the dark ginger she-cat chuckled, giving Nightpaw a dark look.

As if on cue, Nightpaw dropped the mouse and slid one claw along its side. Blood poured out of the wound, but instead of putting it out of its misery, the four cats watched as its life ebbed away slowly and painfully.

"I guess when it _knows _it's going to die, it gives up," Nightpaw observed, taking a bite of the prey before it was fully unconscious.

Unable to watch anymore, Daypaw backed out of the bush and sprinted back to the black tree. She quickly snipped the stems of the catmint with her teeth and headed back to camp with a new sense of urgency. Something about the way they had tortured that mouse was unsettling. The way the she-cat had laughed and how the black and white tom casually talked about the suffering creature just didn't seem right. A chill coursed through her body at the thought.

She was still trembling even as she entered the medicine den. Brackentail thanked her and was about to say something else but seemed to decide against it as he saw the look on her face. Instead, he allowed her to go rest while he watched over Coal for awhile.

Daypaw curled up in her nest and tried to sleep, but troubled thoughts kept popping up in her head. She had never seen her brother act like that before, but then again, she hadn't really seen much of him since they left the nursery. She did remember the time he attacked a beetle and played around with it for a little, but that seemed different somehow. Shaking her head to get rid of her endless train of thoughts, she fell asleep, succumbing to her exhaustion.

* * *

_Well, dere it is, chapter 6! Please review, I do love reviews! And I do take your reviews into consideration as I proceed. If anyone wants to go into detail with edits or discuss the story with me, feel free to private message me. Just be friendly, and please no flames. Also, I edited Chapter 1 a little bit, because it's not as good as I want it to be... but it was nothing drastic and I'll probably have to edit it further in the future. And ALSO, Day and Night aren't descendants of Dovewing and Bumblestripe anymore. I had been toying with the idea, but decided against it. Anyway, I hope you liked Ch. 6. To make things fun, I would be open to suggestions for names for Nightpaw's new friends._

_Thank you and stay tuned!_


End file.
